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Isaac Mendez tells Simone Deveaux that he was high on heroin when he painted a slew of paintings he doesn't remember creating. He is in the process of destroying them because he feels they are evil, since they seem to depict future scenes that actually come true. Later, Peter Petrelli and Simone find Isaac unconscious on the floor of his apartment, having overdosed on heroin. Simone calls 911, as Isaac mutters "we have to stop it" through his drug-induced stupor.

A sweaty Isaac wakes up from his overdose, with Simone tending to him. He tries to tell her about his latest vision of the future, the nuclear holocaust he's painted on the floor of his studio, but Simone is convinced it's all just a delusion brought on by the heroin.

Peter takes Mohinder Suresh to meet Isaac's studio for an opportunity to mimic Isaac's power. However, Isaac doesn't answer his door since he is high on heroin. His eyes are glazed over and he is painting a picture of a cheerleader running away from a menacing shadow.

Peter visits Isaac's loft, and insists that Isaac finish an unfinished painting. Isaac tells Peter he's out of heroin and out of money to buy the drugs. He asks Peter for money. Instead, Peter goes into a precognitive trance and finishes the painting, without the aid of altering substances.

At Primatech Paper Co., Isaac is lying in bed as Eden McCain tends to him. Eden assures the painter that he will have overcome his heroin addiction in no time. Isaac expresses doubt that he'll still be able to paint the future without the aid of his injections. Eden tells Isaac that she'll help him learn to paint without the drugs. Isaac is impressed with how confident Eden appears, and Eden confides that she went through the same thing herself.

Eden informs Mr. Bennet that the heroin is out of Isaac's system, but his mind still wants it. When they meet, Mr. Bennet tells Isaac that his ability is very important but Isaac counters that it feels more like a curse. Isaac is not sure why Mr. Bennet's people are helping him, so Mr. Bennet explains that they need Isaac's help to create a new painting. Isaac tells his captor that he has been trying to paint, but he is unable without the drugs. Mr. Bennet takes out a kit and offers him heroin. He promises Isaac that they'll help him learn to use his abilities without needing the heroin, but that there isn't time right now. Isaac turns down the drugs. At Mr. Bennet's insistence, Isaac agrees to try painting one more time without the heroin.

Eden reports to Mr. Bennet that Isaac is still unable to paint without being high. When Mr. Bennet announces that now they're going to do it his way, Eden defends Isaac — he worked so hard to get clean, and Mr. Bennet can't ask him to get high now. Mr. Bennet tells her that he's not going to ask him to return to drugs, she is, reminding Eden of what she was when he found her. He gives Eden a needle and tells her that she is the easy way, and that they both know what the hard way is. Eden enters Isaac's room and appears to be trying to convince the addict to use the kit, but Isaac resists. Eden whispers into his ear and Isaac takes the needle. He paints again, eyes milky white, blood full of heroin, as Eden observes.

As Isaac gets ready for his first Deveaux Gallery exhibit in a long time, Simone comments that Isaac is sweating and appears nervous. He goes into the bathroom, shoots up, and hallucinates that he can tangibly hold on to Simone's knocking. Isaac, under the influences of drugs, has a nightmarish vision of a giant rock monster screaming, "What have you done?"

Isaac tells Eden he hasn't sketched anything prophetic yet, and isn't confident that he will be able to sketch the future while he's clean. He is enjoying just being able to draw for fun again. Later, Isaac meets Hiro Nakamura in Midland, TX. Hiro tells the artist that his precognitive power is very strong, but Isaac explains that he can only paint the future when he is high. However, after some discussion, Isaac reveals some sketches of Hiro and Charlie he made two days ago — without heroin. Feeling reinvigorated, though doubtful, Isaac attempts to paint the future without being altered by drugs. He doesn't think he can do it, but Hiro suggests intense concentration. Hiro and Ando watch as Isaac concentrates and finally uses his power while sober.

Memorable Quotes

Notes

There has been some controversy over the character Isaac's use of heroin on the show Heroes. It is rumored that NBC executives were not pleased with the character's reliance on an illegal substance in order to access his special abilities, and they pressured the writers to accelerate Isaac's rehabilitation.

The word heroin has the same pronunciation as the feminine version of hero, heroine.

In the unaired pilot, Isaac's addiction is so severe that he actually cuts off his own hand to get to his drugs. (In His Own Image)

While helping Isaac through his addiction in order to use his powers, Eden McCain says that she went through the same thing. It is unclear whether Eden had a drug addiction, or whether she was just sympathizing with the difficulty of harnessing powers. Comments she makes to Mr. Bennet seem to indicate that she probably had a drug addiction. (Seven Minutes to Midnight)

Though he temporarily gave up the habit, Isaac still kept his heroin kit in the hollowed out pages of a book, hidden behind heavy furniture. (Parasite)